As Model Ts emerge from their winter hibernation, I've received an increasing number of inquires lately from ECCT users with concerns about coil performance. The concerns stem from coils adjusted on the ECCT for equal and consistent firing time test poorly on other popular coil testers.

For example:
All of the ECCT coils I adjusted for 100% firing consistency are way off.
OMG, the ECCT adjusted coils Double Spark! on my ______ coil tester.
The ECCT adjusted coil current reads way too high; almost 2 Amps! on my _____ coil tester.
I own a _____ coil tester and have used it successfully for years. When I tested my coils in the ECCT they were Double Sparking and firing all over the place. What the heck is going on?

I then ask, have you actually put your ECCT adjusted coils in your car and take it for a ride? Well.... No, not yet.
The only detail that actually matters, I contend, is how your engine performs using your ECCT adjusted coils. Take a test drive using your ECCT adjusted coils and let engine performance be the basis for judging your ECCT adjusted coils.

Typical responses include;
My car never exceeded 45MPH, now runs at 47MPH and wanted to keep going before I throttled back. My engine just "purrs" now, no more pulsations that I had been accustomed to.
With coils set with the ____, tester my engine at slow speed in high would labor and pulsate under load climbing even small hills, not now!
The performance improvement with ECCT tuned coils was Remarkable. My engine is a fresh rebuild and thought it always ran pretty well with coils adjusted on the _______ current based tester that were spot on; I really noticed an increase in power, especially in low gear. Faster acceleration from stop and a longer duration before I need to shift to high. The engine does not bog down like before and runs smoother at top speed than before.

Hope sharing these actual experiences helps others avoid spending the time comparing how coils set up on one type of coil tester perform on another type of coil tester. The bottom line is doing so is an Apples to Oranges comparison. Engine performance depends on ignition timing. Coils adjusted on the ECCT for equal and consistent firing time by actually measuring firing time provide much more accurate and consistent ignition timing compared with coils set up using coil current as an indirect approximation of coil firing time based on an increasing account of actual user experience.

Technical minded folks interested in knowing why the coil test discrepancy between the ECCT and current based coil testers will find the article http://www.modeltecct.com/uploads/The_Double_Spark_Doctrine_Paradox_V5.pdf at the bottom of the ECCT home page www.modeltecct.com Happy Motoring!

Yup, I tuned a set of coils at a well known T shop with the ECCT. The shop owner then put them on a HCCT and they all showed double sparking all around the scale. We then put them in the car and it NEVER ran so good with increased mileage. I have had several calls from ECCT tuned customers extremely happy with the ECCT coils. You have the VERY best tool available in many peoples view. Thanks for all the work you did to develop the ECCT Mike!! I LOVE IT !!

It's not surprising to me that electronics is able to get closer to the coils sweet spot than the basically mechanical HCCT. Probably why coils double spark when set up on the ECCT then tried out on an HCCT.

The first version of the ECCT actually had a range to adjust the amps to. It was meant to be a secondary function but it was a distraction and I still spent way to much time trying to get the current right rather than the firing time. Mike sent me back a second version of the ECCT with the current settings deleted. Now I do as he suggests, test the caps, set the points to work fire in the range on the tester and all is good. I have done many thousands of miles now on my ECCT set coils and continue to be surprised at the hill climbing ability and smooth power of my T.